Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Scelzi goes for No. 2 in season finale

Thursday, Nov. 11, 2004 | 8:55 a.m.

Brian Hilderbrand covers motor sports for the Las Vegas Sun. His motor sports notebook appears Friday. He can be reached at bh@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4089.

Gary Scelzi will attempt to notch his third consecutive NHRA Funny Car victory and lock up sole possession of second place in points at this weekend's season-ending NHRA Finals in Pomona, Calif.

On the strength of back-to-back victories at Reading, Pa., and Las Vegas, Scelzi is tied with Del Worsham heading into the final race of the 2004 NHRA Powerade Drag Racing Series season.

"I'm excited to have a shot at finishing second and going for our third win in a row," Scelzi said. "But this is not the Powerade championship; this is for second place. The bonus money for the guys, it means a lot. It's a pretty big hit from second to third -- I believe it's $50,000 difference."

John Force locked up the 2004 Funny Car championship two weeks ago in Las Vegas and Scelzi's victory over Force in the final at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway allowed him to move into a tie for second with Worsham.

Scelzi, who has earned each of his three victories this season by defeating Force in the final, said he likes the fact that he's battling his longtime friend for second place.

"It's almost a shame that we're fighting for second and we're not having a three-way race for the Powerade championship," Scelzi said. "It makes it more fun to race against someone you like than someone you don't like, and Del is just a good person.

"It's going to be tough. Whoever finishes second will have earned it, no question about it, and it always feels better when you're in a battle for something rather than making it easy."

The 40th annual NHRA Finals runs today through Sunday at Pomona Raceway.

CLOSING IN: The Top Fuel (Tony Schumacher), Funny Car (Force) and Pro Stock (Greg Anderson) season championships already have been decided, leaving only the Pro Stock Bike title up for grabs at this weekend's NHRA Finals.

Andrew Hines can clinch his first NHRA championship by qualifying for Sunday's eliminations. Hines, 21, would become the youngest NHRA champion in history, breaking the record set by his brother, Matt. Matt Hines was 25 when he won his first of three Pro Stock Bike championships in 1997.

MOST MEMORABLE: John Force's rollover during qualifying in 1992 was voted by drag-racing fans as the most memorable moment in the 40-year history of the NHRA Finals.

Force, who was battling Cruz Pedregon for the NHRA Funny Car title that season, flipped his Castrol GTX Cutlass during a qualifying run and slid down the length of the Pomona drag strip on its roof. Force's crew repaired the car in time for Force to qualify for eliminations during the final session.

Voting was conducted on NHRA.com during the month of October to determine the 20 most memorable moments in NHRA Finals history.

AT THE STRIP: Mitch Myers of Hermiston, Ore. (Top Alcohol Dragster) and Tate Branch of Artesia, N.M. (Top Alcohol Funny Car) won Monday's rain-delayed Short Line Express Market Las Vegas Gambler Shootout at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Ashley Force, the 21-year-old daughter of 13-time NHRA Funny Car champion John Force, qualified third in Top Alcohol Dragster but was defeated by Bill Reichert in the semifinals.

Other winners in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event were Brian Self (Comp Eliminator); Ken Etter (Super Stock); Chad Loge (Stock Eliminator); Steve Johnson (Super Comp); Larry Bradshaw (Super Gas); Michael Sawyer (Super Street); Robert Tevis (Korbel Super Eliminator); Blu Hayball (Top Comp); and Brian Johnson (Kerker Motorcycle).